Steam-boiler.



.PATNTED DEC. s, 1903.4 J. P. sNEDDoN.

STEAM Bom-3R.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 2.5. 1903 No MODEL.

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,J. P. SNEDDON. A

STEAM BOILER.

y APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25. 1903.

NO MODEL. i n 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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No. 746,186. l

UNITED STATES Patented-December s, 1903.

PATENT OEEICE;

i JAMES P. SNEDDON, OE EARBERTON, OHIO, ASSICNOR Toy THE STIRLINC COMPANY, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OE NEW JERSEY.

lSTEAM'-BOILER.

BPECIFIGAQlON forming part of Letters Patent N o. 746,186, datedDecem'ber 8, 1903.

i' vApplication filed February 25. :1903. Serial No. 145.048. (No model.) Y

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES P. SNEDDON, ay lresident of Barberton, in the county of Sum-2 mit and State of Ohio, have invented a new- 5 and useful Improvement in Steam-Boilers; and I do hereby `declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to steam-generators; and more especially to Niclausse orvsimilar Io water-tube boilers.

- The object of my invention is to dispense with the refractorylining at the vsides and` rear of the furnaces for Niclausse and simi-f lar boilers having water-tubescomprising inwater-cooled cross tubes, boxes,or lintels both at. the front and rear of the boiler.

One type of water'tube boilers, of which the Niclausse boiler'is au example, is composed of a series ofV vertically-arranged headersl ,each divided by a longitudinal diaphragm ex. tending for the full length of the header and dividing the same into two chambers, one of which forms the do'wntake of the circulation and the otherthe uptake, theseheaders bei ing connected at their upper ends to elevated steam and water drums. To eachu header isV connected a Series oi" water-tubes, each comprising an outer tube communicating with one of the header-chambersL-namely, the upf 4o take-and having its rear end closed and an inner tube communicating with the other chamber of the header-namely, the downtake-and projecting into the Outer tube and having an open rear end extending nearly Io '45 the closed rear end of the outer tube. The circulation in boilers of this type is from the steam and water drum downwardly through one chamber in the-header, then through the inner tubes to the rear endthereof and back 5o again through the annularspace between the inner and outer tubes to the other headerboiler-furnace.

headers down to or below the levelof the furnace-grate vand connecting these extended portions by means of suitable tubes a circulation could be maintained therein. Niclausse and similar boilers, however, nothaving any rear headers or other vertical connections 7o have heretofore not had applied thereto tubes which form side walls for the furnace, for the reason that no convenient means are presen ted for returning the circulation to the front headers.

consists in a vconstruction `of such boilers f wherein the side walls of the furnace are formed of tubesthrough which water is circnlated. This result is accomplished by exl8o tending theside'headers downwardly and connecting tothe downwardly-extending portions `a series of water-tubes,preferably square or rectangular, which'form the side walls of the furnace and extend to the rear end of the boiler, when they are connected by short vertical boxesor headers. [n order to maintain ,a circulation through these tubes, some of Vthem areconnected to one of the fron t-header vchambers-namely,the'downtalte-while0th- 9o -ers are connected tothe'uptake in said header,

so that a circulation takes place through the tubes from the downtake of the front header through some of these tubes'into the rear header or box and thence back through the remainder of said tubes to the uptake of the header.

The invention also comprises a water tube or box connecting the side headers and forming the lintel over the door, this lintel being loo connected to the downtake of one header and to the uptake of the other header, so that i My invention overcomes this diii- 75 culty in boilers of the Niclausse type; and ita strong circulation is maintained therethrough. v

The invention also comprises a certain cross tube or box connecting the side rear headers in order to form a more rrn support for the rear ends of the main tubes of the boiler and also comprises an arrangement of side tubes so as to maintain a circulation through this rear cross-box.

In the accompanying,T drawings, Figure lis a front view of the lower portion of a Niclausse boiler constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lower portion thereof, the front headers being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a side view of the boiler, partly in section; and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic side View of a modication.

The boiler illustrated is of the usual Niclausse type, having an elevated steam and water drum l, to which are connected a number of vertical headers 2, these headers preferably being corrugated or serpentine, as shown, so as to get the water-tubes close together and in proper staggered relation. Each headerisdivided bymeansofalongitudinaldiaphragm 3, which extends for the entire length thereof, into two chambers-namely a front or downtake chamber 4 and a rear or uptake chamber -both of which chambers are in free communication at their upper ends with the steam and water drum. To each header is connected a series of water-tubes 6, these also being of the usual Niclausse or Field tube construction and comprising outer tubes '7, communicating with the uptake 5 of the header and having their rear ends closed, and inner tubes 8, communicating with the downtake 4 of the header and projecting into the outer tubes, with their rear ends open and extending nearly to the rear closed ends of the outer tubes.

The boiler construction so far described is of the wellknown Niclausse type and will be understood without further detailed description. In this boiler the circulation is from the steam and water drum 1 down through the chamber 4, thence through the inner Water-tubes 8 to the rear end thereof and back through the annular space between the tubes 8 and 7 to the uptake and thence back to the steam and water drum.

In carrying out my invention the two side headers 2 are made different from the intermediate headers not only in the fact that they contain but a single vertical row of tubes, whereas the intermediate headers contain two or more vertical rows of tubes, but also in the fact that the side headers extend downwardly below the intermediate headers to or below the level of the grate, which is indicated at 10, Fig. 1. The diaphragm 3of these side headers extends entirely to the lower end thereof. At the rear of the boiler, in

line with the side headers, I provide short vertical boxes or headers 1I, preferably of rectangular shape, as shown, and connecting these rear headers with the downwardly-projecting portion of the front headers are a series of water-tubes 12 and 13, live such tubes being shown in Figs. l and 3, although the number thereof may vary as convenient or desired. These side tubes,as I will designate them, serve to form or line the walls of the furnace, so as to dispense with the usual refractory lining therefor. To best serve this purpose, the tubes will be ot' a shape in cross-section so that they will practically form an unbroken wall, preferably being rectangularorsquare, as shown, although they may be of other oblong or even round form. In order to take the place of the refractory furnace-lining, it is necessary that said tubes be cooled, and to do this a circulation of water must be maintained therethrough. Inasmuch as the rear headers or boxes 11 have no communication with the other parts of the boiler than through the side tubes l2 and 13, other arrangements had to be devised forgetting acirculation through these side tubes. I accomplish this result by connecting some of said tubes, such as the tubes l2, to the downtake-chamber 4 of the header and the remainder of said tubes, such as the tubes 13, to the uptake-chamber 5 thereof. As shown in Fig. 3, the two lower tubes are connected to thedowntake andthe three upper tubes to the uptake, so that the circulation is toward the rear in the two lower tubes, thence upwardly in the rear header, and then forwardly through the three upper tubes to the uptake of the front header. This particular arrangement of tubes, however, need not be maintained, although it is always desirable to have more return than direct tubes, (by return-tubes I mean those leading from the rear header back to the front header and by direct tubes those leading from the front header to the rear header,) this being necessary, because comparatively cold water will be flowing in the direct tubes and hot water in the returntubes. The specific gravity of the latter being much less than the former will necessarily take more tube-space. The side tubes 12 and 13 are preferably inclined from the front to the rear in accordance with the general inclination of the other portions of the boiler, so that the water flowing through the direct tubes 12 must flow downward, which is contrary to that which is usually thought to be possible in steam-boilers. I have discovered, however, that this How will take place naturally and without obstruction, due entirely to the fact that the flow of water in boilers depends entirely upon the specific gravity of the water and not upon the inclination at which it travels. It will be apparent that the water owing through'the upper tubes toward the front of the boiler is much hotter than that in the lower tubes, and consequently its specific gravity is less. This then causes it to flow upwardly through the ICO IIO

l at 15.

uptake 5v of theheadeln i This upward flowI of the water -in the return-tubes 13 causes a preponderance of pressure or Weight in the downtake-chambers 4 of the header, and this preponderance of pressure will supply the displacement that has taken place in the tubes 13, thus causing a natural ow rearwardly through the downwardly-inclined tubes 12.

In the usual Niclausse boilers the headers are supported on a plate-girder lintel above the furnace-doors, the latter being indicated I substitute therefor a-waterbox lintel 16, which is suitablyconnected to the side headers. This lintel is necessarily subjected to a very high heat, and as it must be'protected a circulation of water must be` maintained therethrough. This is provided for by connecting one end of the lintel, as at 17, to the downtake of one of the outside headers and the other end of the lintel, as at- 18, to the uptake of the other outside header. In

this manner a strong circulation of water is maintained through the lintel to cool thev same and maintain it rigid in order to prop-` erly support the intermediate headers. It will be observed that the connections 17 and 18 between the lintel and the headers are not concentric with the lintel, but are eccentric thereto, being near the upper walls thereof. This is to guard against the formation of steam-pockets in the lintel.

The usual boiler-furnaces are provided with two or more firing-doors 15, aud in order that the inrush of cold air which takes place when the door is opened to renew the coal shall not distribute itself through and cool the entire -boiler'it is desirable to divide the furnacechamberintotwoormore compartments. This is conveniently accomplished by extending thecentral header downwardly, as shown at 20, so as to terminate in the same plane as the outside headers 2a. In line with this central header there is provided a short rear box or header 11a, which is connected to the extension 20 of the central header by a series of water-tubes 412 and 13, exactly as heretofore described and connected in the same way, so that a circulation of water is maintained therethrough. These tubes serve to divide the furnace-chamber into two compartments, so that the' inrush of cold air through any one door will be confined to one compartment alone. By' this construction better control can be maintained overthe operation of the boiler and a higher e'ciency gained. I have shown but a single central header projecting downwardly this way, and while I do not wish to be limited tothe number of headers that should be brought down in this manner still it is desirable and preferable that adjoining firing-doors be separated by such a header.

the term side headers, however, as used in the claims I intend to include also anyinter.- mediate headers which are extended downwardlyin the same manner as the side headers.

great at this point, there is not the same necessity for a strong circulation therethrough as there is with the front lintel 16. Should it be desirable, however, to maintain afairly strong circulation through this rear box, it can be convenient-ly accomplished by unbalancing the circulations of the two sets of side tubes 12 and 13. This can be accomplished in a great variety of Ways-such, for instance, as giving the return-tubes of one set of side tubes a greater capacity than the returntubes of the other set of side tubes and having the direct tubes of the two sets also unbalanced, being least in the first-named set and greatest in the second-named set'. This unbalancin g of the flow can be accomplished by merely changing the relative sizes of the direct and return tubes on the two sides of the boiler-furnace, or it may be accomplished by adding an extra direct tube to one side and an extra return-tube on the other side, this latter being diagram matically shown in Fig. 4, wherein there are shown six tubes on each side of the boiler. On one side there are three direct tubes 12 and three returntubes 13, while on the opposite side there are only two direct tubes 12 and four returntubes 13. As a consequence more water will flow rearwardly in the side a than in the side b, while a less quantity of water can flow forwardly in the side a than in the side b. This will create an excess of pressure in the header 1l of side a, and under the general law of circulation of liquids this preponderance of pressure will cause a {iow'from the header 11v of side ct to the header 11 of side. b through the cross-box 22, thus keeping the latter cool. This cross box or connection 22 can be formed in any suitable way, such as a mere pipe connecting the two headers, but preferably will 'be a box, as shown, and connected to the-upper ends of the headers 11 and" having the topmost return-tube 13 connected thereto, asv clearly indicated in Fig. 3.

The various tubes and headers of the boilerare shown as connected by expanded nipplejoint-s; but the invention of course is notlimited thereto, as these connections can be made in any suitable way, preferably by expanded or screw nipples or cone-joints, as is well known in the construction of sectional IIO boilers, so that the several elements of the boiler can be readily taken apart without cutting or otherwise rn utilating any part thereof.

The circulation of the boiler will be readily understood from the foregoing description.

Suce it to say that the circulation throughl the side tubes is rearwardly through the lowermost ones thereof and forwardly through the uppermost ones thereof, this being accomplished by connecting the lower tubes to the downtake-channel of the header and the uppertubes to the uptake-channel. A strong circulation is also maintained through the lintel 16 by connecting the same to the downtake-channel of one header and the uptakechannel of the other header, and a sufficient circulation through the rear water lintel or box 22 will be maintained by the natural operation of the boiler, but may be increased, if desired, by unbalancing the circulations in the two seis of side tubes, as above described.

It will thus be seen that I provide Watercooled side walls and crosslintels for Niclausse and similar boilers in a manner that will not disturb the general circulation of the boiler and with the addition of onlyso many elements as are necessary to maintain the circulatiou through these lower water-tubes.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a steam-generator, the combination of front vertical members divided longitudinally into two chambers, water-tubes connected to said members, one or more of said members extending below the others, one or more rear vertical members, and a series of water-tubes connecting said rear vertical members with the extended portions ot" the front members, some of said tubes communicating with one of the chambers in the front vertical members and the remainder of said tubes communicating with the other chamber in the front vertical members.

2. In a steam-generator, the combination of an elevated steam and water drum, a vertical member connected thereto and divided longitudinally into two chambers forming respectively an uptake and a downtake, a vertical member at the opposite end of the boiler, and a series of water-tubes connecting said vertical members, a majority of said tubes communicating with the uptake of the front vertical member and the remainder of said tubes communicating with the downtake thereof.

3. An element for a sectional steam-generator comprising a vertical header divided longitudinally into two chambers, a short vertical header opposite the lower end thereof, a series of Water-tubes connecting said headers, some of said tubes communicating with one of the chambers in the divided header and the remainder of said tubes communicating with the other chamber in said divided header, and other water-tubes connected to said divided header and comprising outer tubes communicating with one of the chambers in said header and having their outer ends closed, and inner open-ended tubes communicating with the Vother chamber in said header and projecting into the outer tubes.

4a In steam-boilers, the combination of an elevated steam and water drum, vertical headers connected to said drinn and divided into two chambers, water-tubes communicating with the downtake and uptake of the headers, two or more of said headers extending downwardly below the other headers, short vertical headers at the opposite end of the boiler in line with the extended portions of the front headers, and a series of watertubes connecting each of said short vertical headers with the extended portions of a front header, some of said tubes communicating with the downtake of the front header and the remainder of said tubes communicating with the uptake of said header.

5. In steam-boilers, the combination of an elevated steam and water drum, vertical headers communicating with said drum and divided into two chambers, water-tubes comprising inner and outer tubes communicating respectively with the downtake and uptake of said headers, two or more of said headers extending downwardly below the others,short vertical headers or boxes at the rear end of the boiler in line with the extended portions of the front headers, and a series of watertubes connecting each of said rear headers with an extended front header, a majority of said tubes communicating with the uptake of the front header and the remainder of said tubes communicating with the downtake of said front header.

6. In steam-generators, the combination of two vertical headers divided longitudinally into two chambers, and a cross box'or lintel connecting said vertical headers and communicating with the uptake of one of said headers and the downtake of the other of said headers.

7. In a steam-generator, the combination of two vertical headers divided longitudinally into two chambers, two vertical rear boxes or headers, a series ot' water-tubes connecting each of said rear vertical boxes` with each of the vertical front headers, some of said Lubes communicating with one ot' the chambers of said front header andthe remainder of said tubes communicating with the other chamber of said front header, and a cross box or lintel connecting said rear vertical boxes.

8. In steam-generators, the combination of two vertical front headers divided 1ongitudinally into two chambers, two rear vertical boxes or headers, a series ot' water-tubes connecting said rear boxes or headers with said front headers, some of said Lubes communieating with one chamber ot' said front headers and the other of said tubes communicating with the otherchamberiotl said front headers, a cross box or lintel connecting said front headers and communicating with the uptake of one header and the downtake of the other IOC IIO

header, and a cross box or lintel connecting the two rear vertical boxes or headers.

9. In steam-boilers, the combination of an elevated steam and water drum, vertical headers divided into two chambers, watertu bes connected to said headers and comprising inner and outer tubes communicating respectively with the downtake and uptake of said headers, two or more of said headers extendingdownwardlybelow the others, across box or lintel connecting said extended headers andsupporting the intermediate headers, said lintel communicating with the uptake of one headerv andthe downtake of the other header, two or more Vertical rear boxes or headers, and a series of water-tubes connecting each of said rear headers withrthe extended portion of a front header, some of said water-tubes communicating with the downtake of the front yheader and the others communicating with the uptake of said header.

10. In steam water-tube boilers, the combination of an elevated steam and water drum, a series of headers communicating therewith and divided into two chambers, water-tubes connected to said headers and comprising inner and outer tubes communicating respectively with the downtake and uptake of the headers, two or more of said headers extending downwardly below the others, a cross box or. lintel supporting the intermediate headers and connected with the two side headers, said cross box or lintel communicating with the downtake of one of said headers and the uptake of the other of said headers',two or more vertical rear boxes or headers, and a series of water-tubes connecting each of said rear headers with the extended portion of a front header, a majority of `said tubes communieating with the uptake of the front header and the remainder with the downtake of said front header. i

11. In steam water-tube boilers, the combination of an elevated steam and water drum, of vertical headers communicating therewith and divided into two chambers, water-tubes connected to said headers and comprising inner and outer tubes communicating respectively with the downtake and the uptake of the headers, two or more of said headers extending downwardly below the others, a pair of rear boxes or headers, and a series of tubes connecting each of said rear headers with the extended portion of a front header, some of said tubes communicating with the uptake of the front headers andthe remainder withthe downtake thereof, anda cross box or lintel connecting said rear headers; p

12. In steam water-tube boilers, the combination of an elevated steam and Water drum, vertical headers communicating therewith and divided into two chambers, water-tubes connected to said headers and comprising inner and outer tubes communicating respectively with the downtake and kuptake of the headers, two or more of said headers extending downwardly below the others, a cross box or lintel connecting said extended headers and supporting the intermediate headers, said lintel being connected to the downtake of one of said headers and the uptake of the other.v of said headers, two or more vertical rear headers, a series of water-tubes connecting each of s'aid headerswith the extended portion of a front header, some of said tubes communicating with the downtake of the lss front header and the remainder with the uptake of the front header, and a cross box or lintel connecting said rear headers.

18. In a steam-generator, the combination with two vertical headers divided longitudinally into two chambers, two-rear vertical headers, a series of water-tubes connecting each front vertical header with the rear vertical header, some of said tubes communicating with the uptake of said front headers and the remainder of said tubes communicating with the downtake thereof, the tubes connect- 

